


Let Your Heart Beat Here

by gay_for_rey1999



Category: Archie Comics, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Comics AU, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, betty is in disbelief, jughead hears 'it's on the house' at least three times, jughead is adorable and smitten, jughead tries to drown his feelings in a milkshake, pop ships bughead harder than any of us, pop take coming through with good advice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 14:40:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15221399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gay_for_rey1999/pseuds/gay_for_rey1999
Summary: When Jughead Jones realizes his feelings for Betty are less than platonic, he tries to drown his emotions in a strawberry milkshake. Enter: Pop Tate with life saving advice. But will Betty believe that the town's infamous woman-hater actually wants to take her on a date?





	Let Your Heart Beat Here

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LazyDaizy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazyDaizy/gifts).



> This goes out to LazyDaizies, my tumblr mom :) She's shipped Bughead since the comics and deserves something nice :):)
> 
>  
> 
> The title comes from Heart Beat Here by Dashboard Confessional. The song gives off MAJOR Bughead vibes, so give it a listen, if you feel so inclined :)

Jughead strolled lazily into Pop’s looking to add another scrumptious burger to his ongoing tab. He expected to find a goodnaturedly annoyed Pop Tate, not a very upset Betty Cooper sitting all alone in a booth. Without a second thought, he crossed the diner to slide in across from his blonde friend, taking her hands gently in his over the table. 

 

“What happened, Betts?” he asked quietly, knowing she didn’t want anybody’s attention drawn to her. “Did Archie stand you up again?”

 

Betty nodded silently, her lips tucking in to hide their tremble as the first tears dropped down her cheeks. Jughead could tell she was feeling embarrassed about the whole ordeal, since she refused to lift her head up to meet his gaze. He sighed as an intense wave of anger rose up within him, drowning rational thought. 

 

He was struck with the overwhelming urge to pay his idiotic best friend a visit. It wouldn’t be the first time either. At least five times, he had threatened to terminate their friendship if the redhead didn’t start treating Betty right. But no matter how many times he did this, the blonde ended up brokenhearted. 

 

“You know you’re too good for him, right Betts?” The confused look on her face broke his heart. How anybody could ever look over her for Veronica, her supposed best friend, simply baffled him. He reached across the table and took her hand gently in his. “I’m serious, Betty. You’re the whole package. If he can’t see that, he doesn’t deserve you. You deserve to be cherished.”

 

Betty wiped her eyes and gave him a weak smile. “You know what, Juggie? You’re right. I deserve better than always being the second choice, or third, or even fourth! Thanks Jughead.” She stood up to leave, and paused to kiss his cheek. In true Jughead fashion, he tried to lean away from it, but the moment she left, a light blush spread over his cheeks. He shook it off and left the booth as well. He had a best friend to talk some sense into. 

  
  


He found Archie just where he expected to, on the beach with a certain raven haired princess. He marched right over to him, gaining the attention of the others in their group. 

 

“You have a lot of explaining to do, Archie Andrews,” he seethed, surprising the redhead. “Why are you here with Veronica when you told Betty you would meet her at Pop’s? Tell me, why is Veronica so worthy of your presence, but you leave Betty behind like an old shoe?”

 

Archie spluttered for an answer, but Jughead just kept talking. “Betty deserves better than this. She deserves to be the center of attention everywhere she goes, and to be cherished for who she is, not because your first choice for date night is busy. She deserves to be worshipped like a goddess, but you treat her like a common pest. So until you start treating our dear Elizabeth like an actual person, I am hereby cancelling our friendship.”

 

Jughead stormed off again, heading straight back to Pop’s. He walked right up to the counter, where Pop already had a milkshake ready for him. 

 

“Can you believe him, Pop?” Jughead seethed. “Betty deserves to be treated like a queen, but nobody in this town wants to pay her any attention. Everyone in Riverdale is an idiot.” He paused to take a sip of his strawberry milkshake, but ended up downing almost a third of it. He cursed inwardly at the brain freeze he received and rubbed the roof of his mouth with his thumb. 

 

“If I had the privilege to date Betty,” he began again, voice picking up in frustration, “She would be the center of my universe. How could I ever get distracted by another girl if Betty was my girlfriend? All the boys in this town are so  _ dense _ , chasing girls like Veronica and Cheryl, with all their glamor. Who needs glamor when Betty can do anything they can do, only better? And she can  _ cook _ , Pop. What kind of idiot passes up a chance to be with a girl like Betty?”

 

Pop gave Jughead a small smile as he finished his rant. “You know what I think, Mr Jones?” He offered gently. 

 

“What’s that, Pop?”

 

“I think you are the dense one.”

 

“Excuse me-”

 

“Hear me out, Jughead,” he cut him off gently. “Every time Betty gets stood up or taken advantage of, you’re the first one to get mad. I can’t even count how many times you’ve told Archie you don’t want to be friends with him after he’s wronged her. You’ve always put Betty before anybody else, and just a moment ago, you told me how it would be if you were the one dating her. It seems to me, Jughead Jones, that you have some feelings you need to address.”

 

Jughead opened his mouth to argue, but shut it just as quickly. Did he have feelings for Betty? But he didn’t get feelings! He never once had an overwhelming urge to kiss a girl. He forced himself to think about kissing Betty, and how it would feel. What would it be like to have her tugging on his hair, her tongue sliding against his, his teeth grazing her bottom lip?

 

Much to his dismay, a swarm of butterflies fluttered up inside his stomach. He dropped his head to the counter and let out a prolonged groan. “Pop, can you fry me up a burger?” He groaned, not lifting his head up. 

 

“Sure thing, Casanova,” Pop replied in a teasing tone. Minutes later, a fresh burger sat in front of him, but even the enticing aroma wasn’t enough to distract Jughead from his inner turmoil. He ate slowly, contemplating exactly what he needed to do about these new feelings. Should he try to flirt with her? That seemed easy enough, he thought, as he polished off his burger and slurped the last of his milkshake.

 

\---

 

It was not easy.

 

Every time he tried to flirt, Betty was completely oblivious to his advances. He tried everything, from complimenting her appearance and walking her to school, to sharing his fries at Pop’s. Now that he recognized his feelings for what they were, he felt sickeningly jealous every time Betty tried to catch Archie’s attention. He hated how it felt, and suddenly he had even more sympathy for Betty herself, every time Archie chose Veronica instead of her. 

 

When the rest of the gang had all left the restaurant, Jughead plopped down at the counter. Pop gave him a smile and set about making him a milkshake. 

 

“On the house,” he said as he set it down in front of him. Jughead took a large sip, this time avoiding brain freeze, and stared morosely at the counter. “Why the long face, Jughead?”

 

“I’ve tried flirting with Betty  _ all day, _ Pop,” he sighed, “But she hasn’t noticed! How do I let her know my feelings for her? If I just come out and say it, she’ll think it’s some sort of joke.”

 

Pop paused for a moment, wiping a milkshake glass with a rag, and Jughead braced himself for the advice he was about to receive. 

 

“Here’s what you have to do,” the older man said. “You need to get her flowers, nice ones. When you give them to her, give her a compliment, tell her she looks pretty. When she takes the flowers, tell her about your feelings and ask her on a date. Be honest and kind, and make sure she knows you’re being serious.”

 

“Flowers, compliments, date. Got it. Thanks Pop, you’re the best!” Jughead drained his third milkshake of the day and set out to find flowers

  
  


With Pop’s 4-step plan in his head, Jughead found himself in the florist shop in downtown Riverdale. As he browsed through the blooms, he thought about an article he read once about the language of flowers. He paused at some pretty purpley-blue ones, somebody behind him spoke. 

 

“Hello, may I help you?” Jughead spun around and saw one of the employees standing at the register. 

 

“Hi, I’m looking for flowers to give to Betty Cooper.” Everyone in town knew Betty Cooper, so asking the florist for help was easy. “I want something bright and pretty, like her.”

 

“Oh that is so  _ sweet _ ,” the florist squealed. “I have just the thing in mind. I’ve been waiting for one of you boys to come in here and buy her flowers!” She set about the store, plucking stems from the buckets of blooms and bringing them back to the counter. She tied the blooms together with some rough twine and wrapped the bouquet in brown paper.

 

She handed him the flowers, and he looked at them in awe. There were pretty blue hydrangeas and purple and white roses. It was a beautiful arrangement, and he pulled his wallet from his pocket to pay, but the woman simply waved him off. “I’ve been waiting years to make this bouquet for her,” she assured him. “It’s on the house.”

 

Jughead thanked her and set off to find Betty herself, hoping to god that this plan would work. It seemed foolproof when Pop was explaining it, but now Jughead’s nerves were catching up to him. What if she didn’t like the flowers? What if she didn’t like  _ him _ ? He didn’t have time to overthink further, because Betty was twenty feet ahead of him, walking home alone. 

 

“Hey, Betty,” he called out. “Betty, wait up!” The blonde beauty turned around and smiled at the sight of him. Jughead’s stomach squirmed with butterflies, and he tried his best to ignore them. It was now or never. 

 

“What’s up, Juggie?” She asked, cheery as always. “Who are those flowers for?”

 

“They’re, uh, for you, actually,” he explained shyly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “I saw them and thought of you, since they’re so pretty.” He thrust the bouquet out awkwardly, and she took them. 

 

“Oh, these are wonderful, Juggie, thank you.” She held them up to her nose and smiled at the delicate scent. “This is so sweet.”

 

She wasn’t catching on, and Jughead swore internally. “Listen, Betty,” he started again, “I, uh, I like you a lot, and I think you’re really pretty. Would you possibly wanna goonadatesometime?” His voice trailed off, and the last few words mushed together as Jughead’s nerves got the better of him. 

 

“I beg your pardon?”

 

Jughead took a deep breath and did his best to calm his racing heart. “I said would you want to go on a date sometime?” His heart shattered as Betty’s eyes filled with tears, and an angry expression took over her face. 

 

“Is this some kind of sick joke?” She demanded. Jughead spluttered to explain himself, but Betty wouldn’t let him speak. “I thought you were above all this, Jughead. But you’ve just been waiting your turn to laugh at me, huh? You’re just going to stand me up, just like every other guy in this town, and laugh at me behind my back!” She thrust the bouquet back into his arms and stormed off, leaving Jughead in the dust. 

 

“Betty, wait,” he called out, picking up his pace and following her. “Please, let me explain. It’s not what you think at all!” He caught up to her a block later, and reached out to grab her hand. She tore it out of his grip. 

 

“Leave me alone, Forsythe,” she spat, wrapping her arms around herself. “You’ve embarrassed me enough today.”

 

“Please, Betty, it’s not what you think,” he repeated. “You know I think the world of you, Betts, so I don’t understand why you think I would do this to you.”

 

“Oh, like I’m expected to believe that Jughead Jones, the town woman-hater, magically developed feelings for little old me and wants to take me on a date?” She scoffed at the idea, and Jughead’s heart broke a little bit more. 

 

“You deserve someone who will worship the ground you walk on, Betty Cooper,” Jughead said, reaching out to grab her hand gently in his. “Someone who will pay attention to only you, and never be distracted by other girls.” Betty tore her gaze away from the pavement to look into his eyes. He prayed she could see the truth there. “You deserve to be the center of attention, to have someone you can always count on, no matter what. I can be all that for you, Betty, if you give me a chance. Please, give me a chance.” 

 

His eyes were tearing up as he finished his big speech. Betty looked at him for a moment, before flinging her arms around his neck and pulling his face down to kiss her. Jughead let out a surprised  _ Mmmph _ and wasted no time in kissing her back. The butterflies in his stomach were back again, but this time he embraced them as he dropped the flowers on the ground and wrapped his arms around her lower back. 

 

Their lips moved in tandem, and Jughead gave a tiny moan when Betty’s tongue flicked against his mouth. He parted his lips, and nipped the tip of her tongue playfully. Betty giggled into his mouth, and he swallowed the noise greedily. He tightened his hold on her, bringing her closer to him, and they broke apart for air. 

 

“Wow,” Betty sighed, leaning her forehead against his. 

 

“Yeah, wow,” Jughead repeated, his head blissfully empty of everything except Betty. They shared a soft smile, and Betty moved her hand to cup his cheek. She pulled him back in for another kiss, and it was just as explosive as the first. 

 

“Does this mean you’ll go on a date with me?” Jughead asked hopefully. 

 

“Of course, you goofball,” Betty laughed, and Jughead leaned down to kiss her one more time.

 

\---

 

Pop Tate looked up as the bell rang on the door. He smiled to himself as Jughead Jones walked in with none other than Betty Cooper on his arm. They took their regular booth, and Pop set about making their usual orders. When he put their milkshakes on the counter for a waitress to bring out, he snuck a glance in their direction. 

 

The two teens were sitting on the same side of the booth, which was unusual for Betty. Usually, she sat across from her dates. Jughead had an arm around her shoulders and his lips pressed to her temple. Betty was wearing a wide smile, and she seemed to blossom under the boy’s attention. It was about time she had somebody pay exclusive attention to her. 

 

Throughout the night, Pop kept stealing glances at his new favorite couple. Every time he looked over, they were touching in some way or another, and they kept exchanging kisses between bites of food. He had never seen either one of his favorite customers so happy, and he felt a surge of pride that his advice to Jughead seemed to have worked. 

 

When it came time for them to pay their bill, Pop himself walked out to their table. The pair were attached at the lips, and when he cleared his throat, they jumped apart with guilty expressions. 

 

“Don’t worry about the bill, kids,” he said fondly. “It’s on the house tonight.”

 

“Thanks, Pop,” Jughead beamed, wrapping his arm a little tighter around Betty’s shoulder. 

 

“Don’t get used to it, Jughead,” he teased, and Jughead flicked the tip of his nose. He turned to walk away, and before his back was even turned, he saw the boy swoop in for a kiss, which Betty happily returned.  _ Oh, to be young and in love, _ he thought fondly, as he returned to his spot behind the counter. 

**Author's Note:**

> It feels like FOREVER since I've written Bughead lol I hope you liked this. Please leave a kudos and a comment, it fills my heart with warm fuzzies ;)


End file.
